Malaysia and Singapore share a joint history under British rule. In 1826 Singapore, together with Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in the Malay Peninsula, became the Straits Settlements, under the control of British India with Singapore the centre of government. After WWII the Straits Settlements was dissolved and Singapore became a Crown Colony on its own while Penang and Malacca became part of the Malayan Union in 1946, and later the Federation of Malaya in 1948.

On 27 May 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proposed closer political and economic co-operation and after much discussion and a national referendum, Malaysia was formed in 1963 and consisted of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah) but the merger would prove to be short-lived. Singapore was separated from the rest of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, and independent city-state.

Like siblings each is sensitive to perceived slights from the other such as the mirrored criticisms where Malaysia accuses Singapore of marginalizing its Malaysian minority who in turn decry the other nation’s affirmative action policy as being discriminatory against its Chinese minority. The Singaporean’s view of its Northern neighbor as lazy or corrupt is answered by denigrating talk of Singapore trading its soul in pursuit of the mighty dollar. Like any biting remark there is some truth in both side’s arguments and what is apparent to this traveler is that the natures of both countries represent in the broadest terms the character of their people. What is also apparent is that Singapore cannot match the natural beauty of Malaysia. Traveling up from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur the country seems strangely under populated, not at all what you would expect from the Asian Mainland.

We stayed at a charming hotel called the Eastern and Oriental or E & O for short which is located on the waterfront. While an island, Penang does not have a vibrant beach life due to the fact that it borders a natural shipping lane much like Singapore. Still there is much to do and is definitely worth a visit.

The image with the three rickshaws was taken in front of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also known as "La Maison Bleu". Built by the legendary Chinese merchant it had 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows. he arrived penniless from Guandong province in China at the tender age of 16. Determined to make his own way he amassed a vast fortune and was dubbed "one of China's last Mandarins and first capitalist. Upon his death in 1916 the British and Dutch authorities ordered that flags be flown at half mast to mark the passing of this remarkable gentleman. 

In either case I found the city to be quite picturesque. I had decided to visit Malacca on the spur of the moment and took a bus from Singapore. The buses come in different configurations but a common thread is plush reclining chairs with built in massagers. Each has its own TV set where you can watch current if not first run movies should the scene outside prove less picturesque.